OR EVERY PAID professional choir director in the Catholic church, there are probably three who work without any financial compensation whatsover—and possibly even spend their own money to finance the needs of their choir. However, the true value of a choir director does not come from how much they get paid. Rather, it comes from glorifying God through the beauty of the liturgy. And, in doing so, they move souls closer to Christ through an earthly expression of a heavenly moment. Both paid and unpaid choir directors do a very difficult job (often under difficult circumstances) and with little reward of any kind including spiritual consolations. To be a successful choir director is to sacrifice and to persevere in a nearly insane manner. Some have to manage difficult or exacting priests, or perhaps entitled singers, physically uncomfortable choir spaces, or rude and complaining parishioners. Or very possibly, several of those things at once—plus quite a few more I haven’t named.1
However, it must be said that the volunteer choir director bears a particularly dispiriting weight, because one cannot even comfort oneself by saying, “Well, at least I am still earning a paycheck and hey, that’s something!” Nonetheless, you continue to do your work. Month after month, year after year with no end in sight and no cavalry to come and save you. Despite your home life challenges and family circumstances, you continue to plan and run rehearsals, show up early to Mass and learn everyone’s parts better than even they know it. With so much difficult and unrewarded work to do, it’s easy to say, “I just have too much going on in my life” or “Let someone else deal with it.” To give up is easy and comfortable.
Why You Shouldn’t Give Up
It is a conscious decision to show up at rehearsals and to show up early to Mass; to spend the entire Mass laser focused on the liturgy and the music—not for just one or two Sundays, but for years on end. It is intentional to offer your work as a sacrifice to the Lord. If you’re tired now of your many sacrifices, and you are ready to give up, take heart. Your work is valuable to God if you will only offer it to him as a willing and joyful sacrifice for the sake of building up his Kingdom on this earth. As a choir director, you will never know the true value of your labors, nor will you ever know, until that final day when you face the just and righteous judge upon whose endless mercy we rely. But your reward will, one day, be at hand.
In the words of St. Josemaria Escrivá,
“To begin is easy; to persevere is sanctity. Let your perseverance not be a blind consequence of the first impulse, the work of inertia: let it be a reflective perseverance.”
The Way, 983
Offer your perseverance to God, and God will sanctify you. There is much more to be said on the topic of perseverance not only in music but in the life of faith itself. Entrust your perseverance to the Blessed Mother and she will never abandon you.
You Probably Didn’t Do This Alone, Anyway
Let’s talk about singers for a moment. This conscious decision of perseverance also applies to your volunteer singers, so remember that you are not alone! Yes, you made the sacrifice to lead the choir. But, without singers there is no choir. Many choirs are blessed by heaven to have at least one volunteer singer (and sometimes more!) who shows up on time week after week without fail, having learned their music and who is always uncomplainingly up to the task of learning and giving freely of their talents. Heaven has blessed choir directors with these people, that they may not despair or feel entirely alone. Dedicated singers are like comforting angels. That is not to say these singer don’t have their own challenges and personal difficulties to deal with, but it is clear that they have made their choice to prioritize the music over challenging circumstances.
Furthermore, if you are married and/or have children, the sacrifice is not totally your own. If you know a choir director or a dedicated singer with a family, go thank their spouse on Sunday after Mass. Your choir director and your singers can only continue with the support of their spouse and children. Don’t think for a moment that the family is incidental to the choir. Their whole family had to make a conscious decision to sacrifice not sitting together as a family, to give up one of the parents to run rehearsals, and to arrive early to church to warm up the choir. Many times, the family’s sacrifice and perseverance is equal to the choir directors.
My own husband, for example, has supported my ability to direct the choir by taking care of all 6 kids by himself on Sundays for Mass. And again I will stress the point that this is not for one or two Sundays or even one or two months. I am talking about years upon years, and in my case, a decade. And I know that I am not a rare case. I know another family where the husband would drive his wife and children an hour or more in traffic to get to rehearsals, and then spend hours out with their many, many children while mom was at rehearsal. When you remember to pray for your singers and your choir directors, remember to pray also for their families!
1 And many who are paid, aren’t even paid a just wage!
